Suction cleaner



May 14, 1946. H. B. WHITE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Sept. 24, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm W B w r H 5. M JIMENH May 14, 19430 H. 5. WHITE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Sept. 24, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllll IN VEN TOR. H arty B.Whife BY a M Patented May 14, 1946 soc-non CLEANER Harry B. White, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 24, 1943, Serial No. 503,631

Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and more particularly to a new and novel arrangement of parts and constructional features and improvements in design in a suction cleaner of the type embodying self-cleaning filter means. More particularly, the invention relates to a suction cleaner of the type in which foreign material in the dirt-laden air stream is removed by passage through a plurality of dirt separators and in which an air-driven turbine is provided to actuate a filter-cleaning nozzle in one of the dirt separators.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner having an airturbine-driven filter-cleaning nozzle. A still further object of the invention is to provide a suction cleaner of the type incorporating an initial dirt separator, suction-creating means, a final dirt separator, and means to clean the final dirt separator and to return the dirt therefrom to the initial dirt separator, said last-mentioned means including an air-driven turbine-actuated filtercleaning nozzle. Another object of the invention is to provide new and novel means to actuate a filter-cleaning nozzle in a suction cleaner. A further object of the invention is to provide new and novel means to actuate a filter-cleaning nozzle in a, suction cleaner and including fluid drive means. These and other more specific ob- Jects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed, and in which the same reference character refers to the same parts in the various views:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a suction cleaner constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a section through the construction of Figure 1 upon the line 2-4;

Figure 3 is a section through the construction of Figure 1 upon the line 3-3;

Figure 4 is a section taken upon the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section upon the disjointed line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a section upon the line 6-6 of Figure 2 and shows the bellows-actuated electrical switch which controls the electrical solenoids which in turn control the movement of and the air flow through the filter-cleaning nozzle. 9

Figure 7 is aside elevation, partly in section, showing the construction of the clutch friction wheel; and

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electrical circuit by which the filter-cleaning means are automatically placed in operation when the back pressure of the filter increases to a predetermined degree.

The patent to Bible 2,247,472 discloses a new and important development in the field of suction cleaners. That patent discloses a suction cleaner in which the dirt-laden air stream through the suction cleaner is initially cleaned in a dirt separator of the centrifugal type, the cleaned air then being passed by the suction-creating means into afinal dirt separator comprising a filter which removes all of the escapedforeign material from the air stream. Mr. Bible recognized that in time this final filter would require cleaning and provided a filter-cleaning nozzle which was handactuated and which was manually connected to the inlet of the machine by the operator.

The present invention comprises a step forward in the art and provides the same basic functional construction taught by Bible but with improvements in the drive of the filter-cleaning nozzle and in the automatic operation thereof. More specifically, according to the present invention, the filter-cleaning nozzle is automatically operated whenever the back pressure of the final filter increases to such an extent as to indicate that it should be cleaned. When this condition arises an air-driven turbine, driven by the flow of air which passes through the main suction-creating means of the cleaner, drives the filter-cleaning nozzle through speed-reducing means which are eifective to reduce the motor speed, which is something over 10,000 R. P. M., to a speed of nozzle rotation of something approximating 10 R. P. M. The operator, according to the present invention, is not required to attend to the cleaning of the final filter for that is attended to automatically by the machine. The operator need only empty the dirt container forming a part of the initial separator from time to time when that element becomes filled with foreign material. Such an operation is easily accomplished as dirt, dust, etc., is easily-displaced from a metallic container. Such cleaning is not objectionable in the same degree that the cleaning of the filter or filter bag of the usual cleaner is objectionable.

Referring again to the drawings the main casing of the cleaner is seen to comprise a cylindrical body I which extends with its major axis arranged horizontally. The opposite ends of cylindricalbody I are closed by removable covers 2 and 3 each of which is formed with a dusting tool seat indicated at! and 5, respectively, which are adapted to receive and seat removably the cleaner end of adusting tool hose of a type common and well known in the art. Port 4 comprises the inlet or suction opening while port 5 comprises the exhaust port.

Three transverse walls 8, 1 and 8 are arranged within the main body in the order named from the inlet port 4 to the exhaust port 8. These walls support the working parts of the machine as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

Extending forwardly from transverse wall 8 is a whirl chamber II which is cylindrical for a distance from the wall 8 and then is formed as a truncated cone. Whirl chamber opens into the casing I between the wall 8 and the cover 2,

the latter being formed with an integral pan or by the cover 2 and which forms the continuation of the inlet 4.

Extended rigidly between and supported by spaced walls 8 and 1 is a smaller casing l8 which serves to support an exterior surface of a driving motor l1 and also provides the casing of an adjacent suction-creating fan chamber l8. Casing i8 is reduced adjacentthe supporting wall 1 and at the side of the motor H to form a journal I! for a purpose which will later be explained. The fan chamber i8 is divided into a first stage and'into a second stage by a fixed multi-vaned deflector 2| and rotating fans 22 are positioned within the first and second stages, being fixedly mounted upon the rotatable motor shaft 28 which extends therethrough. The eye of the fan chamber is formed by a central aperture 24 in the wall 8 and leading thereto is a fixed inlet 28 provided with a strainer 21 at its outer end to prevent the entrance into the fan unit of any sizeable material. The exhaust ports of the fan chamber are indicated at 28 and permit the air passing through the fan chamber to exhaust into the space surrounding the fan chamber and motor.

The space surrounding the motor fan unit between the walls 8 and' 1 is divided into an inner or filter chamber 3| and into ,an outer or a discharge chamber 82 by the cylindrical filter 83. Air exhausted from the fan unit passes first into the filter chamber 8| which, with the filter 33, comprises a second dirt separator, and upon passing radially and outwardly through the filter 33, enters the discharge chamber 82.

A discharge port 84 connects the discharge chamber 82 with a passageway 88 which leads to the eye 81 of a fan 88 which is itself fixedly mounted on the extended end of themotor shaft 23 opposite to that upon which the main suction-creating fans are mounted. It is clear that ing the wall I. Ports 48 in wall 1 directly connect the ring and filter-cleaning nozzle to a circular passageway 44 which encircles the motor shaft 28 upon the opposite side of wall 1. A verticil extension 48 of passageway 44 leads to an upper port 41 in the same wall. From the latter port a conduit 48 extends forwardly above the motor-fan unit, and within the discharge chamber 82, forwardly through the wall 8 to be connected to the junction of the inlet conduit l3 and the whirl chamber Conduit 48 is shown as made of rubber, although it is to be understood that this is not absolutely essential. I

In order that the filter-cleaning nozzle 4| can contact the entire inner surface of the filter 3|, it is necessary that it be moved therearound and to acomplish this result power-transmission and speed-reducing means are provided. These means are actuated by the second suction-creating fan 88 by means of an air turbine 8|. Turbine 8| is positioned circumferentially around fan 88 and is provided around its periphery with a series of spaced notches 82 which connect directly to relatively small ports 83 in the back wall of the turbine to provide exhaust passageways for the air passing through the fan. The air after passing through the ports 88 makes its way past the adjacent wall 8, at the enlarged port 84, and passes out to the ambient atmosphere through the end cover 3 at the discharge port 8. The air turbine 8| is itself supported by a shaft 88 carried in a suitable journal or hearing 81 in the wall 8. Upon its opposite end the shaft 88 carries a small diameter V-pulley pinion 88. At

all times during the operation of the machine and upon the rotation of the motor thereof, the passage of air through the suction-creating fan 88 eflects the rotation of the air turbine 8| which in turn drives the V-pulley pinion 88.

Between the air turbine-driven V-pulley pinion 88 and the filter-cleaning nozzle are a series offriction wheels and gears designed to transmit the suction-creating effects of the fans 22 and of the fan 88 .are cumulative, that is, fan 88 draws the air through the filter 88 while th fans 22 force it therethrough.

To clean the interior surface of the final filter 38, which although handling cleaned air, will in time become sufiiciently dirty as to require cleaning, there is provided a rotatable filter-cleanin nozzle 4| which is provided with an elongated mouth defined by filter-contacting lips along the side thereof and which itself interiorly communicates with and is mounted upon a hollow ring 42 seated rotatably upon the Journal l8. Ring 42 in fact forms a part of the filter-cleaning nozzle assembly and is provided with an open side facthe rotating force of the air turbine to the nozzle and to reduce the speed of rotation of the air turbine, which is something in the neighborhood of half the motor speed or about 5000 R. P. M., to a speed of rotation of approximately 10 R. P. M. at the nozzle. In the preferred embodiment illustrated this speed-reducing power-transmission means comprises, first a friction wheel 8| which is rotatably mounted upon the end of a loosely pivoted lever 82 having a floating fit upon a pivot pin 88 carried by the wall 8. Friction wheel 6| is normally spaced from the driving V-pulley pinion 88, under the action of a coil spring 84 which is anchored at one end to wall 8 and which at all times tends to draw the lever 82 against a stop pin 88 in which position the wheel 8| is spaced from the pinion. During nozzle operation, however, the action of the spring 84 is overcome by an energized solenoid 81, the armature 88 of which connects to the lever 82. In the nozzle-driving relation of the friction wheel 8|, illustrated in Figure 3, the wheel 8| is in contact with the pinion 88 and also in contact with a large diameter V-pulley 88 rotatably mounted upon a shaft 1| carried by a suitable journal 12 in the wall 8. Upon the opposite end of the shaft 1| is positioned a very small diameter pinion gear '18 which is, of course, rotated whenever the large diameter V-pulley 88 rotates. Small gear 13 in turn rotates and drives, as is clearly shown in Figure 4, a large diameter gear wheel 18 carried by a shaft 11 which is suitably mounted for rotation in walls I and 8. The opposite end of shaft ll extends into the filter chamber 8| where it is provided with a final small diameter pinion gear 18 and this last and final pinion gear meshes with a ring gear 18 which i mounted on the ring passageway 42 of the filter-cleaning nozzle 4|,

The parts described connecting the air turbine II to the final ring gear 18 ei'fect the rotation of the filter-cleaning nozzle when the friction gear 8|, which together with the V-pulleys Ill and 88 comprises a clutch, is in the closed or nozzleoperating position. An additional feature which aids in the effective operation of the device comprises the construction of the friction wheel 8| which is illustrated in Figure 7 and which is seen to comprise an outer surfacecoating of material of suitable frictional quality, such as rubber, indicated at 8|, which is preferably cemented on to the surface of the wheel proper and is additionally secured on inner surfaces by suitable snap rings 82, as illustrated.

To effect the operation of the cleaner proper there is provided a manually operable switch 88, see Figures 1 and 8, in series with one of the incoming current-conducting leads 8'! which connect to the motor ll. As in the usual cleaner the operator closes the switch 88 when he desires the machine to operate, first having connected the current-conducting leads 8! to a suitable source of current. In the present cleaner, however, additional means are required to eflect the operation of the filter-cleaning nozzle under predetermined circumstances comprising the building up of a back pressure within the final filter of a predetermined extent. These means comprise in the first instance an expansibie pressure-actuated bellows 8|, see Figures 6 and 8, which is interiorly connected, as is illustrated in Figure 6, to the final filter chamber 8|. The movable end wall of bellows 8| connects to ashait 82 slidably mounted in a fixed bracket 88 and is connected at its opposite end to the lever of a two-position snap switch 84 which may be similar to the manually operable switch 86 but is normally biased to open, position. The bellows and the switch-comprise a unit which is positioned within an enclosing housing 88 for protective reasons, the unit being positioned within the space open to the dirt container l2. Switch 84 is normally biased to open position under the action of a suitable spring as illustrated in the diagrammatic Figure 8 but,

upon the expansion of the bellows, a result which follows an increase in the pressure within the filter chamber 8|, the switch moves to closed position as illustrated in Figure 8. When so positioned, electric current flows through conductor 81 into two solenoids 81 and 88. Solenoid 81 functions to move the friction wheel 8| to its clutchclosed position, as illustrated in Figure 3, in which the filter-cleaning nozzle operates. The second solenoid 88 has not been describedand functions when energized, to move the valve 88 from its dotted line position, as illustrated in Figure 2, to its full line position. Normally valve 88 closes the conduit 48 leading to the nozzle 4| from the whirl chamber II, but when the valve is moved to its full line position conduit 48, and so the filter-cleaning nozzle 4|, is directly connected interiorly to the whirl chamber while the inlet port 4 is substantially sealed therefrom with the exception of a slight leakage past the valve which is permitted by virtue of the presence of one or more small lugs l8| which prevent the valve from closing entirely. This small leakage of air is necessary in order to make up for air which passes from the machine by virtue of having passed through the second fan unit 88.

The operation of the cleaner which has been described is as follows. A normal dusting tool hose of any preferred design will be attached to the inlet port 4 and upon the operator closing the switch 88 to the closed position, illustrated in full lines in Figure 8, current will fiow through the driving motor the shaft of which will rotate together with the fans 22 and 88 carried thereby. The high speed rotation of the fans 22 causes air to be drawn through the dusting tool hose, which is indicated in Figure 1 at l8, through the conduits i4 and I8 and tangentially into the whirl chamber The high speed circular rotation of the air stream within the whirl chamber causes the foreign material to be thrown radially outwardly and it moves forwardly and from the open forward end of the chamber ii to drop into the dirt receptacle i2 extended thereunder. The air,

with nearly all of the foreign material removed, passes through the strainer 21 and into the inlet 28 on its way into the fan chamber i8. After passing through both stages of the fan unit the air is exhausted through the ports 28 into the second dirt separator comprising the filter chamber 8| and the surrounding enclosing filter 33. The air passes through the filter chamber 8| out wardly into the discharge chamber 32 and any foreign material which did escape from the whirl chamber comprising the initial separator, is removed by the air-pervious filter 88. The air within the discharge chamber 82 passes, under the positive pressure of the exhaust of the fans 22 and also under the action of the suction of the fan 88, from the discharge chamber 82 through the port 84 and via the passageway 88 into the second fan 88. The air-moving effect of this second fan is additive to that of the first fan unit and results in an increased flow of air through i the machine. When the machine is being used oi the filter 88 results in an undue increase in the resistance to the flow of air therethrough, known as an increase in the back pressure. This increase in the back pressure is immediately effective to expand the pressure-actuated bellows 8| which operates the switch 84 with a snap action. The latter moves to the full line position illustrated in Figure 8 thereby causing current to. pass through the lead 81 and the electrical solenoids 81 and 88.

The actuation and the energization of solenoid 81 results in the closing of' the clutch between the air turbine 8| and the filter-cleaning nozzle 4|, that is, in the movement ofthe friction wheel 8| into contact with the V-pulley pinion 51 and the V-wheel 88. Thereupon the rotation of the air turbine 8| produces the rotation of the vwheel or pulley 88 and from it through the speedreducing gear chain described, the slow speed rotation of the filter-cleaning nozzle 4| around the interior surface of the final filter 88.

The energization of the solenoid 99 simultaneous with the actuation of the clutch between the air turbine and the filter-cleaning nozzle, effects the movement of the valve 89 to open the filtercleaning nozzle to the interior of the whirl chamber through connecting the conduit 48 to that chamber, as illustrated in Figure 2 in full lines. The nozzle 4| is now rotated over the interior surface of the filter 93 and the suction therein effects a fiow of air from the discharge chamber 32 back through the filter 33 and into the nozzle 4|. Except for that area of the filter contacted by the nozzle 4| the air continues to fiow from the filter chamber 3| outwardly into the discharge chamber 32.

Valve/99 substantially reduces the fiow of air into the machine through the dusting tool hose during nozzle operation but does not entirely eliminate it. The fiow of air through the dusting tool hose must not be entirely eliminated for a part of the air is always exhausted through the second fan 38. This is the air which drives the air turbine 5| and thereafter passes from the machine through the discharge port 5. It must be replaced. The leakage past the valve 99 from the inlet 4 permits air to enter to make up for this lost air.

The operation of the filter-cleaning nozzle continues with the nozzle passing around the inner surface of the filter 33 until suilicient foreign material has been removed from the surface thereof to reduce the back pressure of the filter 33 until the pressure within the filter chamber 3| drops to a point suificient to collapse the bellows 9|. This movement of bellows 9| causes the electrical switch 94 to move with a snap action to open position, that illustrated in dotted lines by the switch blade in Figure 8. No current now passes through the solenoids 61 and 98 and under the actuation of the spring biases acting thereon, friction wheel 6| moves to clutch-open position and the valve 99 moves to port-closing position with respect to the conduit 48 connected to the filtercleaning nozzle 4|. Operation of the filter-cleaning nozzle and the passage of air therethrough thereupon stops, and the machine again functions as originally described and solely as a unit for outside cleaning.

I claim:

1. A suction cleaner having a cleaning nozzle for dirt-laden air, a preliminary dirt separator connected to said nozzle, suction-creating means connected to said preliminary separator to draw air therethrough, a final dirt separator of the type in which the resistance to the flow of air increases with dirt accumulation connected to said suction-creating means to receive air exhausted therefrom, movable dirt-removing means to remove foreign material from said final separator, permanent air-conducting means to connect said dirt-removing means to said preliminary separator, an air turbine connected on the with dirt accumulation connected to said sucnon-creating means to receive air exhausted in which the resistance to the flow of air increases therefrom,movable dirt-removing means to remove foreign material from said final separator, permanent air-conducting means to connect said. dirt-removing means to said preliminary separator, a second suction-creating means connected to said final dirt separator to draw air therethrough, an 'air turbine connected to and actuated by the exhaust of said second suctioncreating means, and power-transmitting and speed-reducing means connecting said air turbine to said dirt-removing means.

3. A suction cleaner of the type having a cleaning nozzle for-dirt-laden air, a preliminary dirt separator connected to said nozzle, suction-creating means connected to said preliminary separator to draw air therethrough, a final dirt separator of the type in which the resistance to the fiowof air increases with dirt accumulation connected to said suction-creating means to receive air exhausted therefrom, and movable dirt-removing means to remove foreign material from said final separator; permanent air-conducting means to connect said dirt-removing means to said preliminary separator, an air turbine connected on the exhaust side of said suction-creating means through which air from said suctioncreating means passes, power-transmitting means including clutch means connecting said air turbine to said dirt-removing means to actuate the latter, and pressure-responsive means controlled by the back pressure of said final dirt separator to operate said clutch means.

4. A suction cleaner of the type having a cleaning nozzle for dirt-laden air, a preliminary dirt separator connected to said nozzle, suction-creating means connected to said preliminary separator to draw air therethrough, afinal dirt separator of the type in which the resistance to the flow of air increases with dirt accumulation connected to said suction-creating means to receive air exhausted therefrom, and movable dirt-removing means to remove foreign material from said final separator; permanent air-conducting means to connect said dirt-removing means to said preliminary separator, valve means to control the fiow of air through said air-conducting means, an air turbine connected on the exhaust side of said suction-creating means through which air from said suction-creating means passes, power-transmitting means including clutch means connecting said air turbine to said dirt-removing means to actuate the latter, and pressureresponsive means open to and controlled by the 'back pressure of said final dirt separator to operate said clutch means.

5. In a suction cleaner, a main cleaning nozzle, an initial dirt separator connected to said nozzle, suction-creating means connected to said initial separator to draw air therethrough, a driving motor for said suction-creating means, a final dirt separator including a filter connected to said suction-creating means to receive air exhausted therefrom, second suction-creating means driven by said motor and connected to said final filter to draw air therethrough and to reduce the back pressure thereof, dirt-removing means for said final filter, and air-conducting means to convey dirt removed by said dirt-removing means directly to said initial separator by-passing said second suction-creating means, and means driven by the air passing through said second suctioncreating means to actuate said dirt-removing means.

HARRY B. WHITE. 

